Nut-lock and the like



W. H. MANSELL- NUT LOCK AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-7, 1920 1 ',383,41 4. I Patented July 5, 1921 unrrco STA TEST PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER HENRY MAINSELL, on GRAYS, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

NUT-LOCK AND THE LIKE.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed August 7, 1920. Serial No. 401,852.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, WALTER HENRY MAN- snLL, a sub ect of the Klng of Great Britain,

residing at Lyncroit, N Road, Grays,

in the county of Essex, England, have in-' vented new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks and the like, of which the following is a speclfieatlon.

. to reduce the number of parts in the locking mechanism to a minimum; and to cause the placing of a spanner on a nut or other ar-' ticle in order to unscrew it, to automatically actuate the unlocking mechanism.

These objects I attain by the mechanism illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is,an elevation of a nut provided with locking mechanism constructed accord ing to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section of the same on line 2 2 F ig.

Fig. 3 is a similar sect1on of a nut provided with two locking devlces.

Fig. is a slde elevation of the unlocking plunger and locking disk.

Fig. 5 1S 2. front elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of a left hand thread nut provided with locking mechanism constructed according to this inven tion.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation plunger.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 9 shows a modified form of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, A is an ordinary hexagon nut having an internal right hand thread therein to fit a right hand thread bolt.

B is a channel which is drilled, or otherwise formed, partly through the nut A, at a tangent to and intersecting the threaded portion thereof, the channel B being preferably located midway of the depth of the nut A.

Moving freely in the channel B is a plunof the unlocking device for nuts and other articles in which the" detached from, or turning in,

ger C, the outer end of which projects beyondthe face of the nut as shown by Fig. l, the inner end of the plunger carrying the locking disk D.

The disk D is milled or knurled to insure a good grip on the threads of the bolt and is shaped to fit the threads of the same, the disk being shown beveled on the periphery "to fit a t threaded bolt.

The disk is mounted loosely on the pin E so as to insure'the said disk bearing on the outer wall of the channel B as well as on the bolt, and also to enable the disk to ac comi lodate itself to any inequalities in the threads of the bolt. I

The plunger C is flattened and curved at F to allow it to clear the bolt.

G is a helical spring which is placed at the bottom of the channel B and bears at one end against the inner end of the plunger'C, and against the bottom of the channel B at the other end.

The outer end of the plunger C is preferably domed to enable the spanner used to screw up and unscrew the nut to slide easily over the end of the plunger and force the plunger inward in order to release the locking disk D. from the threads of the bolt.

The plunger C is prevented from becoming the nut A by closing the metal surrounding the edge of the channel B partly over the end of the plunger, or the plunger may be retained in the nut by a screw, pin, or other suitable means.

Referring to Figs. 6, '7 and 8, the nut illustrated by Fig. 6 has a left hand thread, and the channel B is drilled from left to right, instead from right to left, when looking at the nut from the top.

It will be seen that in the case of nuts, the channel B may to the face of therewith.

The plunger C also has a head H at the outer end thereof, and the spring G encircles the plunger and bears at its outer end on the inside of the head H of the plunger C, and at its inner end on the shoulder 1 formed by the enlargement of the channel B which is enlarged at J to receive the head H of the plunger C and the spring G.

As shown by the drawings, the normal position of the disk D is such that as the plunger moves inward the said disk recedes from the center of the nut, and approaches square be formed parallel the center of the nut when the plunger moves outward.

In cases where av fine adjustment is required and any forward movement. of the .in' a fork K, the said fork being supported bythe spring G at the bottom of the channel B, the plunger C. being recessed to admit a portion of the disk D in order to prevent the fork K fromtwisting in the channel B when the nut has been removed from the bolt. j.

, Any. of the lockingdevices hereinbefore "describeclmaybe applied to either right or left hand nuts and other articles.- p

When the nut has to b screwed up, the

spanner used for rotating the nut pushes of the bolt, thus allowing the nut to rotate the plunger C inwardand, automatically relaxes the grip of thedi-sk D on thethreads freely'in the required direction.

The nut may also be screwed on the bolt by the fingers, as the locking mechanism allows the nut to be rotated in a forward direction, except in the case of nuts with two locking devices, without pushing the plunger inward. V

When the nut is screwed up and the spanner removed, the locking disk D resumes its normal position and the spring G causes it to become ammed between the threads of the boltand the outer wall of the channel B,

and prevents any rotatiomor tendency torotation, in the opposite direct on, asany rotation in the unscrewing direction would move thelocking disk'into a diminishing space and increase the grip on the. bolt.

WVhen a spanner is placed on thennt and the plunger moved inward thereby, the spanne'r holds the plunger C in such a position that the disk D does not gripthe bolt, and the nut may be unscrewed as easily as an ordinary nut. V V f If the nut is provided with two locking'devices, it will be necessary'to push both plungers inward for screwing up and for unscrewing.

Although; I have described. invention as. applied to locking nuts, my invention may be sappliedto other purposes where screw threads are employed, screwed on covers for acetylene generators and-securing wheels onaxle's, forexamplefand' where it is necessary to prevent'the screwed parts from becoming loose I A lockingdevice for nuts, comprising, in

combination, a nut provided with a channel at a tangent to and intersecting the thread ed; portion o-fthe nut, aplunger slidable in saidchannelingcontact with the wall thereof,

said plunger, being bifurcated at its inner.

end, a locking disk mounted for rotation between the. bifurcations of said plunger, a

helical spring in engagement with the inner end of; theplunger for normally retaining said disk in. locking position, the outer end of the channel being upset into direct engagement Wlth a.port1on of the plunger thereby to limit the movement of theplungernnder the action ofthe spring, and the outer end of the plunger projecting beyond the end of the channel whereby the depressionof the spring and releasing the locking disk may be accomplished from the exterior ofthe nut.

"WALTER. HENRY MANSELL. 

